Diabetes drug could help manage weight in children with autism
Children with autism spectrum disorder commonly are prescribed drugs to treat their irritability, but those kids are at risk of gaining weight as a side effect of those drugs.
However, a study published in “The Journal of the American Medical Association” shows that a drug used to treat diabetes could also help those children manage their weight better and even lose weight they had gained because of drug side effects.
Michael Aman, PhD, the lead author of the study, says there are only two medications approved to treat the common symptoms of irritability and agitation in those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
“Those drugs, risperidone and aripiprazole, are what’s known as atypical antipsychotics, and both have been shown to cause intense craving for food and, ultimately, weight gain,” said Aman, director of research at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Nisonger Center.
Aman’s study notes that nutritional counseling previously hasn’t had much effect for children who have ASD and struggle with this weight gain. Many in the ASD population are selective about food choices, too, which can complicate diet plans.
The researchers studied a group of more than 60 children, ranging in age from 6 to 17, who had gained weight as a result of the drugs. They charted how the patients responded when the diabetes drug metformin was added to their daily regimen.
Researchers gave metformin to about half of the children in the study, while the other half were given placebo drugs designed to mimic the look, feel and taste of metformin.
“In just two months, the patients (who received metformin) lost weight, appeared more fit, and their appetites were much more manageable,” Aman says.
After the full 16 weeks of the study, the patients who received metformin had lost an average of six pounds, and some saw a significant reduction in their BMI. The participants who received placebos experienced no change.
“Although none of us likes to use more medicines than is absolutely necessary,” Aman says, “in this case, it’s a good resolution.”
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